Glove compartment lamp mounting and switch



y 7, 1957 w. E. BROWN v 2,791,677

GLOVE COMPARTMENT LAMP MOUNTING AND SWITCH Filed Jan. 4, 1954 III,

F /'g. 7 JNVENTOR. f 35 3327 50 W////am E. Brown Afforney United StatesPatent GLOVE COMPARTMENT LAMP MOUNTING AND SWITCH William E. Brown,Anderson, Ind., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich.,a corporation of Delaware Application January 4, 1954, Serial No.401,903 1 Claim. (Cl. 240-71) This invention relates to improvements inswitch and lamp units and more particularly to combination switch andlamp units adapted to be controlled by a door.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a simple,strong and durable resilient mounting for the lamp socket for a lampwhich permits it to move forward with the plunger when the door isslammed shut, and act as a shock absorber to protect the lamp filamentfrom breaking due to slamming the door.

It is another object of the invention to provide a combined shockabsorbing lamp socket and cutoff switch therefor for use with doorstructures wherein the shock absorbing qualities of the device preventdamage to the lamp when the door is clammed shut and wherein the switchportion is effective to open circuit the lamp in either open or closedposition of the door as desired.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention isclearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front wall of the switch and lamp unit embodying the presentinvention.

Fig. 2 is a view, on an enlarged scale, showing the switch in crosssection in an open position and a door in cross section in a closedposition.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the switch in its closedposition wherein the door is shown in open position.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing a modified form of asocket sleeve.

In the drawing, the numeral 20 is used to designate a switch and lampunit adapted to be mounted in a glove compartment of an automobile. Theunit may comprise a metal housing 21 having a front wall 22 and a rearwall 23. The front wall 22 is formed with a biasing collar or flange 26.The rear wall has an opening 27 through which passes a metal shell orsleeve 28. The sleeve is provided with a collar or flange which may beformed by longitudinally extending tangs 29 which are bent outwardly.The opposite end of the sleeve also has a collar or tangs 30 which arebent outwardly after the sleeve is passed through the opening 27 to holdthe sleeve in assembled relation with the wall 23. The shell or sleeve28 has a pair of bayonet slots 31 in which may be received the bayonetpins 32 on a contact carrier 33. The contact carrier is in the nature ofa lamp 34. The lamp is illustrated as being a single pole variety, oneterminal of the filament 35 being grounded to the lamp sheath 36 Whilethe other terminal 37 is centrally disposed. These metallic pins 32 aresecured directly to the sheath and are adapted for the reception withinthe bayonet slots provided on the opposite sides of the sleeve. Thesleeve constitutes a socket within which the lamp may be turned to mountor dismount the lamp. When the lamp is mounted in position within theslots, the lamp will move with the sleeve.

2,791,677 Patented May 7, 1957 A coiled spring 40, surrounds the sleeveand has one end bearing against the inside surface of the wall 23. Theother end of the spring bears against the bent tangs 29 that afford aseat for the spring which is grounded to the housing 21. This spring, asviewed in Fig. 2, urges the sleeve to the right.

A switch unit 42 for controlling the current to the lamp is locatedwithin the housing 21. The switch unit 42, shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and 4,includes a plate or support 43 of insulating material. The plate has anopening 44 therethrough which receives a stationary contact element 45.The plate also has a tongue 46 thereon which extends through an openingin wall 25. The stationary contact element 45 has a wire attaching clip47 and a disc portion 48 adapted to engage the one face of the plate 43adjacent the wall 22. The element 45 is arranged to pass through theaperture of the plate 43 and be riveted over against-the other side ofthe plate 43. A lead wire 49 is attached to the clip 47.

The stationary contact element 45 slidably supports a hollow plunger 50of insulating material. The plunger includes a reduced portion 51 whichforms a shoulder 52 with the remainder thereof. The reduced portion 51is slidably mounted in the stationary contact element 45 and theshoulder 52 limits the movement of the plunger in one direction. Theplunger is counterbored to form an internal shoulder 53. The smalldiameter of the counterbore receives a hollow contact sleeve 55 having aflange 56 engaging the end of the reduced portion 51 and the flangeextends beyond the periphery of the reduced portion so as to makecontact engagement with the stationary contact element 45. The other endof the contact sleeve 55 is riveted over the internal shoulder 53 of thecounterbore to maintain the contact in assembled relation with theplunger 50. When the plunger 50 moves the contact sleeve 55 engages thestationary contact element 45.

A conducting rod 60 is slidably mounted within the contact sleeve 55 andincludes a head 61 which engages the central terminal 37 of the lamp 34.The rod 60 projects beyond the riveted over portion of the contactsleeve 55 and is, in this instance, flared as at 63 to limit themovement of the rod to the left as viewed in Fig. 2 when the lamp 34 isremoved from the sleeve 28. A spring 65 is disposed between the head 61and the flange 56 of the contact sleeve 55. The spring 65 is undercompression when the lamp is positioned in the sleeve 28 and operates tourge the plunger 50 in one direction and the rod 66 in the oppositedirection so that the contact head 61 will engage the terminal 37 of thelamp. The spring also conducts current from the contact sleeve 55 to thehead 61 in case the rod does not make positive contact with the tubularportion of the contact sleeve 55.

As clearly seen in the drawings, the support plate 43 is positioned inthe housing 21 by providing the bottom wall 25 with an opening toreceive the tongue 46. The side walls 24 which are suitably attached tothe remainder of the housing 21 have flanges 70 thereon which extend asshown in Fig. 1. The side walls also are provided with extending tangs72 which are bent over support plate 43 as shown in Fig. l to maintainthe tongue 46 in the opening in wall 25. The flanges 70 may includeapertures for facilitating the mounting of the unit to a wall. It is tobe understood that the housing 20 is to be supported and held within acompartment, such as a glove compartment, so that the plunger 60 will beactuated by the opening or closure of door 75 for the compartment. Afragment of the door 75 is shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

The modification illustrated in Fig. 4 differs from the above describedembodiment only in the sleeve 128. The sleeve 128 in this instance hasbowed fingers 76 which yield when the sleeve is formed through theopening 27.

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While the embodiments of the present invention as herein disclosed,constitute preferred forms, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows: I v A W V A combination lamp socket andswitch, comprising; a frame having a pair of spaced apertured walls, atubular light socket loosely received in the aperture in one of saidwalls, outwardly turned tangs on one end ofrsaid tubular socket forlimiting movement of said tubular socket in one direction in saidaperture, a plurality of radially spaced fingers spaced from said tangsand disposed on the other end of said socket, said fingers beingresilient and outwardly bowed to permit the socket to be inserted intosaid aperture and arranged to engage said one wan to limit the movementof said socket in said aperture in the opposite direction after saidsocket is received in said aperture, a spring surrounding a portion ofsaid socket and acting between said tangs and the wall (if-said frame tonormally resiliently maintain said fingers in engagement with said onewall, and a switch means carried by the other wall of said frame inaxial alignment with said socket, said switch means including; anactuating member freely movable within limits in the aperture in saidother wall, a movable contact member carried by said actuating member inengagement with a fixed contact when said actuator is at one of itslimits of movement, a conducting plunger concentrically carried by saidactuating member, a second spring acting between said plunger and saidactuating member and normally urging said members apart and saidactuating member to said one limit of movement, said plunger beingadapted to bear against one terminal of a lamp when said lamp is held bysaid socket, and an external means for moving said actuating member andsocket relative to said frame and said movable contact member out ofengagement with said fixed contact, said means being operative throughboth of said springs whereby any shock transmitted to said actuatingmember by said external means is insulated from the lamp as carried bysaid socket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,669,314 Vreeland May 8, 1928 2,271,910 Bluemle Feb. 3, 1942 2,317,100Hall et a1. Apr. 20, 1943

